Team GB's Winter Olympics Dreams Shattered on Devastating Monday
Team GB's hopes for a medal-laden Monday at the Winter Olympics turned to dust as snowboarder Mia Brookes and freeskier Kirsty Muir both suffered agonising fourth-place finishes, while the mixed curling team crashed out in their semi-final. What was anticipated as a potential 'Magic Monday' swiftly transformed into a 'Tragic Monday' for the British contingent in Milan-Cortina.
Brookes' Daring Gamble Falls Just Short
Nineteen-year-old snowboarding sensation Mia Brookes faced an immense challenge as she prepared for her final jump in the big air competition. Standing at the summit of a towering 150-foot ramp, with Pantera's heavy metal blasting through her headphones, Brookes knew she needed to attempt a trick she had never performed on snow: the perilous backside 1620.
This complex manoeuvre, involving four and a half rotations, had only been successfully completed once before in history by a female athlete. Brookes revealed she had no intention of attempting the trick until she found herself in fourth position before her last jump. "I've only ever done it on the airbag," she admitted. "The last time I tried it was five months ago. This was the first time I've ever tried it on snow."
With characteristic bravery, Brookes launched herself down the ramp, executed the rotations beautifully, but overspun slightly upon landing, coming down on her heels. The mistake proved costly, leaving her just outside the medal positions in fourth place. "I thought I'd got it," she reflected. "I did get it to my feet but I just gave it too much power, listening to my music too loud. I spun it too quickly."
Most observers agreed that a clean landing would have secured Brookes at least a bronze medal, possibly even silver. Instead, Japan's Kokomo Murase claimed gold, with New Zealand's Zoi Sadowski-Synnott taking silver and Korea's Yu Seung-eun earning bronze.
Muir's Narrow Miss and Curling Collapse
The disappointment extended beyond the snowpark as freeskier Kirsty Muir also finished fourth in the slopestyle event, missing out on a medal by a heartbreaking 0.41 points. Muir was visibly emotional after her performance, having believed she might have done enough to secure a podium finish.
Team GB's mixed curling pair, Bruce Mouat and Jen Dodds, compounded the day's misery with a puzzlingly meek performance in their semi-final against Sweden. Having entered the match as strong favourites after winning eight of their nine group games, the British duo struggled from the outset.
After taking an early 1-0 lead, everything began to unravel. A poor clearance from Mouat in the second end allowed Sweden to go 2-1 ahead. The British pair lost the hammer to fall 3-1 behind, and although they clawed it back to 3-3, three consecutive mistakes during a Swedish powerplay resulted in them conceding five shots. The match ended with a comprehensive 9-3 defeat.
"That was my worst game of the week," Dodds conceded. "It put us behind from the get-go. Obviously not the result we were after. They played great. They capitalised on all of our mistakes."
Further Setbacks and Future Opportunities
The disappointments continued as Team GB's ice dancing pair, Lewis Gibson and Lilah Fear, found themselves in fourth place after scoring 85.47 in the rhythm dance. They trail the French pair of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron (90.18), the American duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates (89.72), and Canada's Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (86.18).
Despite the day's setbacks, all four British contenders will have opportunities for redemption. Mouat and Dodds will face defending champions Italy in Tuesday's bronze medal match, while Fear and Gibson have their free programme scheduled for Wednesday. Both Muir and Brookes will compete in their strongest events next week.
Brookes' Perspective and Future Ambitions
Remarkably, Brookes remained positive despite her near-miss, emphasising that pushing the boundaries of her sport holds as much importance as winning medals. "I think everyone will be just as stoked about me trying a 16 than me getting a medal," she suggested, referring to the 1620 trick.
She also highlighted the historic significance of her attempt: "The girl that won, Koko, she's the only girl that has that trick right now. So if I'd have landed it I would have been the second woman to do it. It's really special. For women snowboarding, if I'd have landed that it would have been insane."
When questioned about whether she would attempt similarly ambitious tricks in her upcoming events, Brookes' response was unequivocal: "Oh yeah, 100% definitely." Her determination underscores the resilience of Team GB's athletes despite the day's disappointments, offering hope for better fortunes in the remaining competitions.
